PF is dishonest, has failed to honor alliance partners – Nason Msoni

Nason Msoni

Nason Msoni whose party All People’s Congress (APC) with the MMD under Rupiah Banda supported and campaigned for Edgar Lungu is the Presidential election says the pre-election alliance is seriously teetering on the brink of collapsing.

Msoni who is the president of APC and other paarties including People’s Party of Mike Mulongoti campaigned for Lungu and of late have come out complaining that their efforts have not been appreciated by the Lungu regime.

“The progressive pre-election alliance which was entered into between the PF and MMD and ultimately consummated and publically announced in Chipata between the faction of MMD led by President Rupiah Banda on one part and PF president Edgar Lungu on the other part may be seriously teetering on the brink of collapsing following the dishonest conduct and failure by the PF leadership to honor and show respect for their alliance partner,” Msoni says.

Msoni says while the MMD faction of President Rupiah Banda has lived up to its full commitment of the pre-election memorandum of understanding, the PF has arrogantly rebuffed and not honored its bargain and has willfully and deliberately neglected and failed to live up to what was expected having been assisted to win with a narrow margin in the January 2015 Presidential by-election following the demise of the 5th President Mr. Michael C. Sata.

He says although the other faction of MMD led by Dr. Nevers Mumba has also lately claimed to have assisted the PF emerge victorious in the January 20 by-election, Dr. Mumba himself was a candidate and effectively participated in the presidential election and miserably lost.

“It was indeed political mischief on the part of the PF leadership to have embraced the MMD faction of Dr. Nevers Mumba immediately soon after winning the polls,” Msoni says. “Although this unholy alliance and bond appears to have evaporated in thin air going by the recent exchange of words between the PF secretary-general Mr.Davies Chama and Dr. Mumba’s faction spokesperson Mr. Rapheal Nakachinda on the adoption of Ms Dora Sillya as a PF candidate for petauke central constituency in the forthcoming by-election.”

Msoni says the continued adoption of former MMD members of parliament by the PF leadership with impunity may have unsettled many MMD members and also PF members who are now questioning the rationale and motive behind the poaching and the unorthodox adoption of MMD members from the alliance partner and fielding them on their party ticket without consultation.

“What is even more vexing and shocking is that the same PF which had earlier petitioned the election results of those same MMD members of parliament has now seen it fit and opted to re-adopt them on their party. The PF had earlier petitioned their election result on the grounds of electoral malpractice and corruption leading to the courts annulling their election victory,” says Msoni.

He further says the broad daylight cannibalism of MMD members by PF is pointing to the deliberate and calculated effort by the PF leadership to obliterate MMD by arrogantly refusing to accept and to recognize the right of existence of the MMD to continue to exist as a single political entity.

Msoni notes that It is obvious that the fragmentation in the MMD has given leeway to outsiders who have taken undue advantage and view the current situation as a niche and reservoir for recruitment of its members as in its current weakened state MMD cannot legitimately put-up any spirited fight against invaders masquerading as alliance partners .

“Without doubt the actions of the PF leadership have seriously undermined their alliance partner and have put them in a very difficult position with their members,” he says.